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Probst leads 20 new contestants vying for the $1 million prize and the title of Sole Survivor. To win it all, they'll have to navigate new challenges designed to level the playing field between the tribes.

"You have young guys running around, young women running around," says Probst, "and they're fit and they can do all these challenges. But can they think? And when you look at the older tribe, you see people who stop before they walk and say, "We should go this way."

The Espada tribe, comprised of castaways over 40, features one notable leader, former NFL coach and two-time Super Bowl champion Jimmy Johnson.

"He's applied two other times," Probst revealed, "and got turned down both times because of medical issues. … Last year when he applied … they found a problem with his heart. … He believes 'Survivor' was in his life for a reason, that it saved his life, and now he's hopes he can kick its ass and win."

Among the contestants joining Johnson's team is 48-year-old Massachusetts native Jimmy T, who won a nationwide contest to be a "Survivor" participant.

"He's a fisherman -- a huge personality -- band he's going to be on the older tribe with Jimmy Johnson," says Probst. "They're either going to connect like brothers -- or they're going to fight like brothers."

While the elder Espada tribe has the edge in life experience, the young guns of the Laflor tribe bring their own unique perspectives to the game.

"Brenda is another one to watch out for," says Probst. "She is very young, fit attractive, but on top of everything else, she is sort of a black widow.

"Kelly B //she has an artificial leg. … She's very physically fit, she's an athlete. I think most people are going to look at Kelly and say, 'Look at everything she's overcome and she's still out there doing well; if we let her get deep, she could win."

Nicaragua presents different challenges for the castaways, Probst points out. "For the survivors. Nicaragua is going to be a little tougher. There's not a lot of food out there and it's also the start of the rainy season, so they're gonna get wet -- and no matter what, no matter how good a shelter they build, they leak. And when your clothes get wet and you get cold and you wake up the next morning and haven't slept … I think the result is you get a lot of tension."

"Survivor: Nicaragua" premieres September 15. For more on it, click here.